2012.03.16
Roundup #3: Mobile news apps & hiding trolls
Thanks for all the feedback this week. We’ve had several suggestions of different mobile news sites and apps you enjoy, including New York Times, Politico, Huffington Post, Slate, Twitter and News Republic. These are favored for their clean layout and ease of navigation. Continue letting us know which sites you use for news on the go.
Thanks for continuing to give your input on commenting. After citing the Virginian-Pilot’s commenting system as an example on Monday, you shared what you liked – and disliked – about it. Commenters seemed to agree that a “hide” function would be useful on a comment thread, to silence “trolls,” as one person said. But consensus was split on the usefulness of a thumbs up/thumbs down feature.
To learn more about PilotOnline.com‘s commenting system, we talked to Mark Edelen, director of online production at PilotOnline.com, to get a better sense on how that site’s registration system works. Here are some interesting notes from the conversation:
- PilotOnline.com commenters must register with a user name and an email address, which is used to confirm the registration. Once registered, the user goes through a “probationary” period where his comments must be approved by an online producer before being posted. When the user has met a certain number of approved comments, his comments are then automatically posted afterward.
- If a user “misbehaves” by posting inappropriate comments, he then gets switched back to permanent moderation, meaning producers must approve his comments before they’re posted.
- Commenting is allowed on all blogs and columns. It is turned on for news stories at the judgment call of the producers. Most routine crime briefs, for instance, do not allow comments. And some sensitive stories might only allow moderated comments.
- The registration system for the opinion section is a little different because the department wants its commenters to be verified. To comment on the opinion pages, you must register and post with your real name. A verfieid ID, such as a credit card, is also required for registration.
- The Pittsburg Post-Gazette (postgazette.com) is trying out commenting via Facebook. If you’d like to see how it works, check out the site, click on a story and scroll down.
We are reading your comments, sharing them with different teams working on the redesign, and implementing some changes immediately based on what we’re hearing (like adding the full site option to our mobile site).
Coming next week: Managing Editor Michael Stowe talks about breaking news — how we cover it and how it’s displayed on roanoke.com. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
If commenting on any part of the site wound up requiring the use of my full name, a credit card number, and/or my Facebook profile in order to post, I would not bother. I can’t really see the need for the credit card, that would definitely turn me away. The other ideas though, I like them.
Comment by Other John — March 16, 2012 @ 8:23 am
Thanks, Other John. I agree with you about the credit card part. I shop online a lot and I am really comfortable doing so with a credit card, but I would feel uncomfortable using it for a non-purchase.
- Courtney Cutright, RefreshRT team
Comment by Courtney Cutright — March 16, 2012 @ 8:38 am
If you are updating the site, please update the search function. It’s pretty much useless, pulling random stories from archives, in no particular order as you can search for the same thing on different days and get different results, and you can’t search by date or multiple terms.
Comment by tass — March 16, 2012 @ 10:41 am
Yes, tass, we are looking at how search results are organized and displayed so thanks for the feedback.
– Karenna, RefreshRT team
Comment by karennag — March 16, 2012 @ 11:37 am
As a subscriber to the Roanoke Times, they have had my credit card on file for a long, long time, they even prompt me when my expiration happens if I forget to update. I see no biggie in giving it to them to verify my identity anymore than to pay for the paper? What am I missing? Hell, I’ll even pay to be rid of the Captcha Code!
Comment by Sandi Saunders — March 16, 2012 @ 5:14 pm
Personally, I like the idea of having a number of post approved before having an automatically approved from that point forward. That seem reasonable. That is one approach I have been advocating for some time. The “hide” feature is great, especially to “drown out” troll or commentators that are so negative.
Comment by Trevor — March 17, 2012 @ 8:15 am
Sandi,
I think the problem is having your credit card number in multiple places that may or may not be secure. Generally, the fewer databases that contain your credit card info, the better. I know I would NEVER comment if registering required my credit card number. If it required a picture of me holding today’s paper like some hostage situation I’d be more inclined to cooperate… And even then, I’d be unlikely to
Comment by Meg J — March 17, 2012 @ 6:36 pm
Posting one’s full name in public can be a way to make oneself an easy target for reprisals (and for all kinds of intrusions from the Web!) Consider the situation in Giles County regarding the anonymity request of plaintiffs in the lawsuit over posting articles of religious belief in the schools. Consider any number of public fora terminated by violent responses. Fear is an age-old silencer of public debate. As for hiding behind anonymity to project uncivil behavior in public: that’s why the real names are kept on file, and the commentary moderated.
Comment by Urman — March 18, 2012 @ 8:21 am
I second Other John.
Comment by Art Hill — March 19, 2012 @ 7:13 pm
Any updates or decisions on implementing the PilotOnline commenting system?
Comment by Art Hill — March 22, 2012 @ 7:22 pm
Thanks for the question, Art. We’re definitely taking a look at the PilotOnline system, but we’re still researching and exploring our options … we’ll definitely keep you posted once we make some final decisions. Stay tuned!
Comment by Stephanie Ogilvie — March 23, 2012 @ 8:11 am